30% energy saved by changing ULT -80C freezers to -70C
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Written by
Emma Stapleton Thornell
https://www.freezerchallenge.org/overview--deadlines.html

  • Ultralow temperature (ULT) freezers use ~20 kWh electricity/day, the same as an average home.

     

  • 15 years ago, all ULT freezers were set to -65C or -70.

     

  • Turning your freezer from -80C to -70C can save up to 30% electricity. 

     

  • Is it safe? Yes, safe for nucleic acids, proteins, bacteria, viruses.

     

  • Who else is doing it? CU-Boulder, UC Davis, Harvard, Dartmouth, UC Santa Barbara, CDC, AstraZeneca, Charles River Labs, Genentech, Imperial College London, NUI Galway.